1934 Hudson 8 Convertible "For Sale"

I have been in discussions with a gentleman in Europe for the past couple years that is considering selling his late father-in-law's 1934 Hudson 8 Convertible Coupe. The car is complete with an "amateur" restoration started. The pictures of the car show a solid body, no dents, rust or severe damage. All the trim (bumpers; door handles; head, fender & tail lamps; top frame; bird, etc.) seems to be with the car however, I plan to make a visit to verify.

I've noticed that the '34H8CV consistently is ranked in the top two cars "costs aside" @ the Hudson Classic Car forum so, I have to ask... what would a reasonable buyer be willing to pay for a solid and complete '34H8CV needing restoration?

I have the price guides however, also know that so few of these cars change hands that guides show ridiculously low values. I also know (first-hand) what it costs to restore one of these puppies!

Just curious... what would YOU pay??

Disclaimer: I love a well done street rod as much as the next guy however, will do everything in my control to prvent this car from being rodded!

Comments

Gee, as much as I love the early to mid 30's cars, I would have to say that the car you are talking about would not be what most Hudson people would be talking about. That honor would go to a stepdown. Next to that would possibly those cars that are most available. However, the 34 Convertible 8 is a fine example of a desirable early 30's car. A sale is made based on an offer, negotation and acceptance of that offer. If you are seeking a high end car expect to pay more money. This is one area where you cannot guess what a car is worth. Old Cars price guide would say that this car is worth in the 5K range. With that said, all you have to do now is decide what you are willing to pay. Good luck with this deal. It would be a fun car to have.

when you inspect, check these items as they are the most expensive to do: upholstery, should be leather & I think all the '34s used brown; chrome, esp. headlamps & bumpers, and lastly the paint job. Also what is the condition of the top.It goes without saying that mechanical condition is vital and potentially the most expensive & time consuming to restore - I'd certainly take it for a drive, perhaps take a compression gauge with you & be sure to check out the performance of the clutch, that it does not chatter or slip.Good luck!

Recently I viewed the car shown in the atttached pictures. I believe it is germane and answers your question.

The attached pictures of a 1935 Hudson Terraplane 8 dual side mount convertible coupe were taken in January 2011 at a swap meet held in Austin Texas . The pictured car was a recent import from Mexico City.

You will notice that the car is missing the headlights, stantions for same,hood ornament, dual side mount covers and mounts (yes this is an original dual side mount car), The rumble seat upholstery albeit the mechanisms were in place and operational. The engine was rebuilt all though I did not hear it run. The top irons in place and operational. All original glass in, wings too and they operated, the original leather was soft and brown on main cabin seat. All dash gauges in place. Rear tail lights and stantions missing. Both bumpers and grill were with the car. This car was solid... no observed rust or fender tears. The documentation was complete from new to now.

The owner was asking 15K.

I did not purchase the car... when I spoke with the owner he had committed to wait for another buyer to return with funds.

So, these cars are available and at an affordable price.

After some internet sluthing and calls to owners of these cars ... I discovered that the side mounts are the same as found on closed cars as are the lights thier stantions. I suspect there could be unique model specific parts, but I did not take the time to identify those nor how to obtain.

WildWasp - thank you for providing a current "benchmark"! This is exactly the information I was seeking. Actually, I had heard about this '35 H8CV from Mexico three weeks ago from a close friend (C.W.) that also has a '35H8CV with the dual sidemounts.

Based on auction prices the past 2-3 years for 34-35 Hudson Convertibles, $15K for this car does not seem unreasonable. Restored to solid #1, these automobiles change hands for in excess of $100,000.

I may not have been clear in my original post - I currently DO own a 1934 Hudson which I restored over a 10 year period so, fully understand the costs associated with rebuilding mechanicals, show quality chrome plating, body work & paint, upholstery... etc. I also understand the concept of negotiation, offer acceptance et al. I understand that a car bought "right" for 15 Grand will cost 3 to 5 times that amount to correctly restore.

Below is the link to an article on my 34 Hudson that appear in the November 2010 issue of HMN Classic Cars

Really enjoyed the article, and I am forever indebted to guys like you, Bent Metal, Sonny and others with pictorial histories of their projects on here: I now understand that I have neither the resources, skills nor temprament to accomplish something like that, so I'll not waste the 10 or 15 grand to buy a "project" that will never get finished. My driver will always be a driver, and I'll just enjoy looking at your gorgeous restorations and street rods.

But I'm sure glad there are still some guys left who will rescue some of these high-end cars and put them back in their glory!

Jim... CW and I spoke about this car. I agree with your assessment and the costs. In the grand scheme, there are other vehicles that tickle my fancy otherwise that car would be in my shed. Thanks for sharing, I have that issue of Hemming just because of the article on you car.

In the prior posts several times "1935 Hudson Terraplane 8" was used & there is no such thing - only in 1933 did Hudson put an 8 engine in a Terraplane so I would assume these pics are of a '35 Hudson. In '35 you could get either a 6 or an 8 engine in the Hudson line whereas ALL '34 Hudsons have the 8 engine.

Exactly "oldhudsons"... the "Mexican" '35 pictured is on the long wheelbase chassis, has the Hudson hood sides and dual side mounts (a very rare option on any Hudsons in 34 & 35).

After seeing the pics, I dusted off Butler's book to see if they made a "special" 8 cylinder Terraplane for non-USA markets. As far as I can tell the answer is NO.

The gent I bought my '34 from insisted is was a "special proto" 35 T8CV. Once I checked the VIN & windshield crank (34 used the breakage-prone lever; '35 used a much improved crank that drove a gear & lever set-up) I knew it was a 34.

For 99% of the total old car hobby, the names Hudson and Terraplane will forever represent a SINGLE brand of car from the 1930s. Partly Hudson Motor Co's fault for making the TWO brands virtually indistinguishable with shared bodies, shared names ('32-33 Essex-Terraplane and '38 Hudson-Terraplane) and mixing 6 and 8 cylinder motor choices in this era. And lets face it, half of Hudson owners themselves call them Hudson Terraplanes. Outside of HET all the stepdowns have become Hudson Hornets by body appearance whether they be Commodores or Pacemakers. Hudson products just simply are not out and about enough in the hobby to be known and understood. And that is in large part because too many of those that remain are sitting on blocks.

I once had a long w.b. '34 T conv., & I don't think they were offered in '35.The ones with the 3 door hood were only made late in the model year when Hudson offered a cheaper line of Hudson which had the 3 door rather than the 5 door hood which had come on the cars earlier in the model run. I gleaned this out of the " '30 - '39 Master Chassis Book" where I believe it tells you that beginning with such & such of a chassis # the long w.b. model would have the doored hood. I did this research many years ago so not too specific right now but still have the book where this info is divulged.The guy I sold it too still has it & I have the "first right of refusal" if he ever decides to sell it - I know of one other of the long w.b. '34 Ts (actually a Hudson with a 6 cyl. engine as was done in '35).The factory did the same thing in '33 with the T line & after a certain serial #, which I think began in August of '33, all Ts, both 6 & 8, were Deluxe series with chrome front horns, dual taillights, and a radio.

If anyone is seriously interested in a 1935 Terraplane Convertible Coupe project - please private email me. I did make the contemplated purchase that started this discussion a while back. The car has been delivered to Massachusetts and I'd love to see it go into the hands of someone with the skills and patience to correctly restore it.

Is this the same car that's currently for sale on a UK classic car website for £27,000 ? That one is black and is currently only partly assembled/painted and the seller says he's been driving it for a couple of years without fenders ?He's also selling a '46 (I think) pick-up.

Sorry Jim, I was under the mistaken belief that everyone has been talking about a black left hand drive 1934 H8 convertible that's currently for sale in England (see www.carandclassic.co.uk and search Hudson). It's an unfinished project and he's asking £27000.

OK, here's a terrific opportunity for someone looking to build a 1935 Terraplane Convertible Coupe! Ideally, you will need a Sedan or Coach donor car for the drivetrain and some trim parts. All the convertible unique parts are there - the top frame including latches, the "heart shaped" wiper motor, Vent windows & frames, interior windshield frame moldings, dual horns and dual tail lamps. Also, included are an extra set of four (4) fenders and a box of misc. parts.

I believe the 34Hudson CV I wrote about back in March '11 is still available. The car is near Antwerp. Private email me (see WTN 34 Registrar for my email address) if you'd like contact details on the car.

I ended up buying and reselling the 35 Terraplane shown in the June '11 post. The car has since been bought locally here in Massachusetts by a HET enthusiast that plans to restore it (he was accumulating some needed parts at the Gettysburg Meet a few weeks ago.